West I-40: We pulled out of Raleigh about 9:30 a.m. a little later than we intended, but without stress about it, either. Two puppies in the back of the SUV and a cat flaked out across the stuff packed up to our eyeballs in the back seat. We had a precious full tank of gas, which in this economic climate is equal to a small grocery bill. The morning was mild, but cloudy, really perfect for driving with animals in the Southeast.
Lunch in Asheville, NC
Our first stop was in Asheville. We figured it would be around lunch time. I had a fave bookstore -- Malaprops -- that I wanted to hit and my friend wanted to do a little boutique shopping. We finished up downtown Asheville with a memorable al fresco lunch at Carmel's Restaurant and Bar in Pack Square: tomato basil soup with a chiffonade of spinach salad--delicious. Just as the bill arrived a rain storm blew in, so perfect timing.
Memphis or Nashville?
We continued on I-40 West. It was mid-afternoon. Our original thought was to shoot for Memphis for the first night and plan to stay a second night. We opted to stop in Nashville for night #1. We're at the Best Western Music Row -- our digs for the night. The hotel is pet-friendly, even though there is scant grass right outside the hotel. We actually had to hit a grassy space on the next block for the dogs, but it will work out.
Night in Nashville
It was about 9 pm when we checked in and we were both hungry and cranky. We drove about 10 blocks to the real downtown buzz area and hit the Hard Rock Cafe for a reliable dinner. Tomorrow a.m. we will head to Memphis....blues land.
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